Vogue Australia: The September Issue

The sell-out September issue of Vogue Australia has been named one of the top 10 magazine covers of 2009 by America’s Time magazine. The September issue celebrated the magazine’s 50th anniversary and featured Australian actress Cate Blanchett on the cover.

The sell-out September issue of Vogue Australia has been named one of the top 10 magazine covers of 2009 by America’s Time magazine. The September issue celebrated the magazine’s 50th anniversary and featured Australian actress Cate Blanchett on the cover.

“The cover is a marvel in many ways,” said Time. “First, Blanchett’s face is rendered with merely a few brushstrokes; just enough to let the reader know it’s her. More important is the use of that ’50s-style illustration, which creates a perfect merger of glamour, celebrity and style announcing an issue that covers the magazine’s long history.”

“Some fashion mags do the most creative covers in the industry, while others use imagery that seems like nothing more than a place mat for blurbs and cover billings. Would that there were more like this one; it just has that certain … je ne sais quoi.”

Vogue Australia’s anniversary issue used multiple covers, all featuring Cate Blanchett. British illustrator David Downton created several vintage-inspired fashion illustrations of Blanchett, in collaboration with Vogue’s art director Ella Munro.